Gerbera plant named ‘Klondike’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Klondike’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; freely flowering habit; orange-colored ray and disc florets; and upright, strong and relatively short scapes.

Botanical designation: Gerbera jamesonii.

Cultivar denomination: ‘KLONDIKE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera jamesonii and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Klondike’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact container Gerbera cultivars with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Gerbera plant originated from a cross-pollination during the summer of 2005 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands of Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flocave’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,339, as the female, or seed, parent Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flostone’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/454,020, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gerbera plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands during the spring of 2006.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since the summer of 2006 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Klondike’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Klondike’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Freely flowering habit.     -   3. Orange-colored ray and disc florets.     -   4. Upright, strong and relatively short scapes.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the female parent, ‘Flocave’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have more uniform inflorescences         than plants of ‘Flocave’.     -   2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Gerbera have more         numerous inner ray florets than inflorescences of plants of         ‘Flocave’.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are orange in color         whereas ray florets of plants of ‘Flocave’ are white in color.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the male parent, ‘Flostone’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are larger than plants of         ‘Flostone’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Flostone’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have longer scapes than plants of         ‘Flostone’.     -   4. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Flostone’ differ in ray floret         coloration as plants of ‘Flostone’ have yellow and yellow         orange-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flomountain’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,340. Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Flomountain’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are taller than plants of         ‘Flomountain’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Flomountain’ differ in ray         floret color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Klondike’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in a glass-covered greenhouse during the spring and summer in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial container Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 19° C. to 26° C. and night temperatures ranged from 16° C. to 18° C. Rooted young tissue-cultured plants were planted in 19-cm containers and were six months old when the photograph was taken and ten months old when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera jamesonii ‘Klondike’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flocave’,             disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,339.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Gerbera jamesonii ‘Flostone’,             disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No.             12/454,020. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About 2.5 weeks at temperatures of             20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About five to six             weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to 26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Moderate branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous perennials with semi-double             inflorescences that are typically grown as a container or             garden plants; compact, upright and uniformly mounding plant             habit; leaves arranged in basal rosettes and outwardly             arching; dense and bushy habit; moderately vigorous growth             habit.         -   Plant height.—About 51 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 70 cm. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 39 cm.         -   Width.—About 16 cm.         -   Shape.—Runcinate; lanceolate to narrowly elliptic in             outline.         -   Apex.—Obtuse to abruptly acute.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Pinnately lobed with coarse and irregular sinuses,             lobes divergent; undulate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Moderately pubescent; woolly.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 147A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 138B. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N141A; venation,             close to 144B to 144C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface:             Close to 138B; venation, close to 144B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 15 cm. Diameter: About 5.5 mm.             Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower             surface: Moderately pubescent. Color, upper and lower             surfaces: Close to 144B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Semi-double type inflorescence form with             narrowly elliptic-shaped ray florets; solitary             inflorescences borne on upright, strong and relatively short             scapes above the foliar plane; ray and disc florets arranged             acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about four months             after planting and flower from early spring to the end of             the summer in outdoor gardens in The Netherlands; plants             flower year-round under greenhouse conditions.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two weeks             on the plant; inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about eight open and developing inflorescences per plant at             one time.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About             3.5 cm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 144B.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 10.1 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.4 cm. Diameter of disc: About 3.5 cm. Receptacle             height: About 8 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 9 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to NN155C.         -   Ray florets.—Orientation: Initially upright, then roughly             perpendicular to the peduncle and slightly reflexing.             Length: About 4.1 cm. Width: About 1 cm. Shape: Narrowly             elliptic. Apex: Obtuse, rounded. Base: Cuneate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             longitudinally ridged. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 85 outer ray florets and about 400             inner ray florets arranged in about three to four whorls.             Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 23A; inner ray             florets, close to 25A. When opening, lower surface: Close to             16A. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 23A; inner ray             florets, close to 24A. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to             16A.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular, fused. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Margin:             Entire. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 4.5 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 500. Color, immature: Apex:             Close to 202A. Mid-section and base: Close to 13B. Color,             mature: Apex: Close to 28A to 28B. Mid-section and base:             Close to 13B.         -   Pappus.—Quantity per floret: About 50. Length: About 8 mm.             Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color: Close to             N77A and 187A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About             120 in about four whorls. Length: About 1.3 cm. Width: About             2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture,             lower surface: Densely tomentose. Color, upper surface:             Close to 143A; towards the apex, close to 144A. Color, lower             surface: Close to 137B; towards the apex, close to 143B.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 51 cm. Diameter: About 7 mm. Angle:             Erect. Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely tomentose. Color:             Close to 144B; towards the apex, close to 137B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Quantity per floret: Two. Filament length: About 6 mm.             Filament color: Close to NN155C. Anther shape: Lanceolate.             Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: Close to 12B.             Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 12A.             Gynoecium: Present on disc and ray florets. Quantity per             floret: One. Pistil length: About 1.1 cm. Stigma shape:             Rounded; curved. Stigma color: Close to 155D. Style length:             About 1 cm. Style color: Close to NN155C. Ovary color: Close             to 145D.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Gerberas has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera grown     under commercial conditions. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about 1° C. to about 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Klondike’ as illustrated and described. 